Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 67; Republican Party

Biography for Tom Harman

Candidate for Member; California State Assembly; 67th District; Republican Party

Biography of Assemblyman Tom Harman

Incumbent Tom Harman represents the people of the 67th Assembly District. This district was recently restructured to include, entirely or in part, Anaheim (western part) Cypress, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Rossmoor, Seal Beach, Stanton, and Westminster.

Harman, a member of the Republican Party, was elected to the State Assembly in November 2000, following six years of service as a Huntington Beach City Councilman.

Assemblyman Harman, a local businessman and civic volunteer, has lived and worked in Orange County for the past 41 years.

While serving in the California State Assembly, Harman was named "Legislator of the Year" by the Golden State Mobile Home Owners League (GSMOL) for his work in passing legislation that protects the rights of mobile home owners.

Harman's bill to protect the California coast by banning the import, sale and possession of the noxious aquarium plant called Killer Algae was widely hailed when it was signed into law by the governor.

To protect children, Harman supported the Project Kid Safe legislative package. This legislation included implementation of the Amber Alert system, which has been used successfully to find abducted children. Project Kid Safe will assist local law enforcement agencies in monitoring habitual sex offenders and enforcing registration requirements.

To prevent further abuse of victims of crime, Harman introduced legislation that will prohibit convicted criminals from suing their victims for slander.

To fight corruption in politics, Harman introduced legislation to strengthen laws regarding conflict of interest.

To protect the rights of senior citizens, Harman introduced legislation that will require financial institutions to better communicate with their customers when an account is in danger of being transferred to the State of California because it has been dormant for three years. This bill is awaiting the governor's signature.

Harman's other accomplishments in his first two years in the Assembly include:

• Co-authoring over 50 pieces of legislation designed to:

• Lower taxes
• Reduce size of government
• Protect safety of citizens
• Improve education
• Protect natural environment
• Serving on six Standing Committees
• Governmental Organization
• Insurance
• Judiciary
• Local Government
• Natural Resources
• Revenue and Taxation

• Air and Water Quality
• Horse Racing Industry
• Future of California's Film Industry
• Future Farming of California
• School Safety

• Securing a financial commitment from the Department of Fish and Game for maintenance work at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, including repairs to the parking lot, walkbridge, and trail system, which are needed for public safety

• Obtaining $5,000,000 in funding for the Orange County Water District for construction of the much-needed Groundwater Replenishment System Project

• Helping to secure $600,000 in funding to upgrade a Wildlife Care Center that provides veterinary care for the wildlife of Orange County

• Obtaining a grant for over $357,000 to remodel a local community health clinic and purchase much needed new medical equipment

• Securing $264,000 in funding under the Safe Routes to School (SR2S) Program for local street and sidewalk improvements to help children get to school more safely

• Securing $2,215,430 in funding for a job training program to update the skills of 2,934 health care system employees

Harman founded the citizen action group Huntington Beach Tomorrow and, while on the city council, launched an Organizational Efficiency Program to improve services, stop waste, and reduce costs in government.

Other important accomplishments from his service on the city council include:

• Increasing the number of police on patrol
• Improving fire protection
• Expanding senior programs
• Reducing the accessibility of narcotics
• Addressing gang-related issues to provide greater safety for residents

Harman and his wife Dianne have been married for 38 years and have two children, Michael and Michelle.